To stop Chrome from automatically opening files and force them to download instead, you must adjust specific content settings within the browser's privacy and security menu. How to Force Chrome to Download Files
: Under "Default behavior," select the radio button or toggle for Download PDFs instead of "Open PDFs in Chrome". Managing Other File Types download file instead of opening in browser chrome
By default, Chrome uses its internal viewer to open common file types like PDFs. Follow these steps to change that behavior: To stop Chrome from automatically opening files and
: Click Privacy and security in the left-hand navigation menu. Follow these steps to change that behavior: :
: Click the three vertical dots in the top-right corner of Chrome and select Settings .
For files that aren't PDFs (like images or text files), Chrome's behavior depends on whether you've previously told it to "always open" that file type. Chrome automatically download pdf instead of opening error
: Scroll to the bottom and click the arrow to expand Additional content settings . PDF Documents : Select PDF documents .